Community gives hope to people with disabilities

Technically known as Intentional Community housing, a new estate with some social engineering is allowing people with disabilities to live more independently.

Dozens of the homes will provide an opportunity for people with a severe disability to live independently, with help only as far away as next door.

The Intentional Community at Phillip in Canberra's inner-south was opened by Chief Minister Katy Gallagher and Australian Governor-General Quentin Bryce.

The housing estate includes 25 homes and five of those are set aside for young adults who have a disability.

More than a decade in the making, the vision of three mums has become a reality with public housing residents signing up to support their neighbours living with disabilities.

"The public housing residents have been chosen because of their willingness to be part of and contribute to this community and will be here to support the young men living with a disability as well as each other," Ms Gallagher said.

"It's not your standard group house, it's going to give people with a disability the option to make their own choices."

Ms Gallagher says the new estate is a great example of what can happen when the community comes together to support people with disabilities.

"This is the 11th year that this project's been in consideration and it's certainly an exercise in having a group of parents not accept the answer no," she said.

"It's an exercise where current services didn't meet their children's needs so they thought up a new way of doing it.

"We were going to build extra public housing anyway so working out how to fit this model in was another layer."